Members of the Syrian security forces in front of rockets and ammunition seized in al-Qusayr. (Credit: Syrian Interior Ministry via Facebook)
The state-run Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported Thursday that the Directorate of Internal Security in the city of al-Qusayr, in the countryside of Homs, thwarted an attempt to smuggle a shipment of weapons via a truck into Lebanon.
Situated in western Syria, around 10 kilometers from the Lebanese border, al-Qusayr was often referred to as “Hezbollah’s backyard” by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) before the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime on Dec.8, 2024.
It is located across the Hermel region, a passageway for all kinds of cross-border smuggling.
“The authorities seized guided anti-tank missiles and 30mm ammunition that were intended for smuggling into Lebanese territory,” SANA reported.
According to SANA, the driver was “arrested and referred to the competent judicial authorities to take the necessary legal actions.”
The Lebanese Army has been heavily deployed at the border between the two countries after the fall of the regime, in an attempt to address issues related to the border's porosity, in the fight against smuggling and trafficking on Lebanon's northern and eastern borders.
With the fall of Assad regime, Hezbollah lost one of its arms importation routes from Iran, which used to pass through Syria.
